Read Online Sex and the Single Fireman: A Bachelor Firemen Novel by Jennifer Bernard - Free Book Online Page B

showing up, Roman passed by the apparatus bay, where two of the crew, Stud and Psycho, were checking their equipment.
    “Everyone knows him and Two are hot for each other,” Psycho was saying.
    Roman went dead still. Was Psycho talking about him? Had the crew already picked up on the tension between him and Sabina? And . . . was she still “hot” for him?
    “That’s a load of baloney,” said Fred. “They’re just friends.”
    “Oh yeah? I heard they were making out in the backseat of the pumper. Pumper. Get it?”
    Roman frowned. They couldn’t be talking about him. He hadn’t gone near the pumper.
    “You’re lying. Two would never do that.”
    “What, does ickle Fweddy have a crush on the pwetty girl?” Psycho, whose name suited his insanely bright blue eyes, made girly faces at Fred.
    “I don’t!”
    Roman smiled. Of course Fred the Stud had a crush on Sabina. It was a common condition at Station 1.
    “Why wouldn’t you? She’s hot. Did you see her doing Pilates in the workout room? I wanted to crawl onto that mat and sex her up, Psycho-style. Talk about working your core . . . ooh, yeah, baby . . . lift and tighten . . .”
    Roman knew ruthless goading when he heard it, but Fred had an unbroken record of falling for a tease.
    “Don’t talk about her that way! She’s not like that!” The clatter of equipment being tossed to the floor told Roman it was time for the hard-ass to step in.
    When Roman strode into the bay, Psycho had his hand on Fred’s forehead and was laughing as Fred wheeled his feet helplessly, unable to get close. Psycho dropped his hand as soon as he spotted Roman. Fred staggered.
    “What’s going on here?” asked Roman in the voice that had terrified ten years’ worth of Brooklyn probies.
    Fred scrambled to his feet. “Psycho was . . .” Fred sputtered, then went silent. Clearly he didn’t want to mention Sabina.
    Roman turned to Psycho, who he knew to be an excellent firefighter with a dangerous taste for living on the edge. Tattoos covered his torso and upper arms; he was a battling-his-demons type. Roman could relate, except for the tattoos. “Psycho?”
    “It was my fault, Chief. I was speaking inappropriately about two of my fellow firefighters. It would be entirely understandable if you elect to administer punishment.”
    Oh yeah. And the guy had most of a psychology degree from Princeton.
    Roman raised an eyebrow. “Just out of curiosity, what punishment would you consider appropriate?”
    Psycho’s brilliant blue eyes flashed in surprise. He gave a resentful shrug.
    “I overheard the word ‘Pilates.’ Maybe a Pilates demonstration for the crew would be a good start.”
    Psycho choked out an extremely reluctant “Yes, sir.” Hatred radiated from him in near-visible waves.
    “And Stud?”
    “Yes?” The kid’s face was contorted from the effort to hold back his laughter.
    “Come with me. I have a job for you.”
    Roman ushered Fred out of the apparatus bay. The youngster skipped alongside in a way that reminded Roman of Luke. “Chief, I just wanted to make him shut up, I wasn’t going to hurt him. But he was saying things he shouldn’t. I don’t know why he gets like that . . .”
    “It’s okay, Stud. You were defending your fellow firefighter. I have no problem with that.”
    “So you heard what he said? It’s a lie, Chief.” Fred seemed to have forgotten where they were. His voice rose passionately. “Two and Vader are just friends. She never goes out with guys from the station, she always swore she wouldn’t and I believe her no matter what they say . . .”
    He snapped his mouth shut as they rounded the corner into the training room and caught sight of Sabina perched on the couch.
    Too late. Obviously she’d overheard him; a slow wave of pink traveled up her cheeks. She looked sleepy-eyed and groggy. Steam rose from the coffee mug gripped tightly in her hand. Stan leaned his head against her knee in a state of apparent